The Path of a Rider
by Storm Music
Summary: Harry Potter made a deal to save the girl he loved. He made a deal with the Devil, he gave his soul. And now, he must become his bounty hunter, Ghost Rider. HP xover Ghost Ridermovie. on hold indefinitely
1. Prologue

**The Path of a Rider**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Ghost Rider. _

_I just saw Ghost Rider and I had to write this story. I hope to continue this but that means that I need reviews to keep writing. Also, I am taking all my information from watching the movie Ghost Rider only once, so if there are people out there who spot errors in my information, please tell me kindly in your reviews. _

_Enjoy and remember to review! _

**Prologue**

She was dying. Her blood was seeping into his robes, staining them a dark crimson. He could see the light dimming in her amber eyes. Her pale face was smudged with dirt and grime and her robes were torn. Tears fell from his face, landing softly on the ground.

Around them, the battle carried on. Tom was gone, his lifeless body laying a few feet away from him. But it should have been him, not Ginny, who was dying in his arms. She had jumped in front of the spell, sacrificed herself to save him. When he saw her crumpled body, he lost control. His magic, killing curse green, had wrapped around Voldemort's body. Voldemort had screamed and tore at his skin but the magic seeped into his body and tore out his soul. Voldemort's body had fallen to the ground, but unlike last time, his soul was still trapped within Harry's magic. His soul had fought against the invading magic but it was a futile battle. Voldemort was gone forever as his soul was sucked down to Hell.

Harry spared no thought that the man who had plagued his life for so long was gone, but knelt down next to Ginny's crumpled body. He held her body gentle in his arms.

"Ginny, please, you can't die. I need you." Harry cried to her. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I love you Ginny."

He looked at her face but her eyes were closed, she was almost dead. He laid his head on her shoulder, sobs wracking his body.

"Harry Potter." A rumbling voice said next to him. Harry looked up to see a tall man with slicked back grey hair and a long face glaring down at him. In his hand was a long black cane with a silver skull. He wore a black coat that went to his knees.

"What do you want? Get away!" Harry hovered over Ginny protectively.

"Do not worry. I do not want to hurt your little girlfriend. I have come here to make a deal." His voice was like thunder.

"What kind of deal, can't you see she is dying?!" Harry cried desperately.

"Precisely." Harry looked up to see the man smirking. "I can save your girlfriend. I can keep her alive. All you need to do is sign this contract." The man pulled a rolled piece of parchment from within his coat.

"What do you want in return?" Harry asked suspiciously. He knew it would not be as easy as that to save Ginny.

"Your soul." The tall man grinned.

Harry didn't even hesitate. "Fine, give me the contract." The man handed it to him. Harry unrolled it and began to read the first sentence but a thorn pricked his finger. He pulled back his hand but a drop of blood landed on the contract.

"That will do." The tall many hastily grabbed the contract from Harry's hands. "Your girlfriend is healed, she is only sleeping. I must leave now, but I will meet you again soon." His eyes held a maniacal glint as he turned away and disappeared into thin air.

Harry looked down at Ginny and was relieved to see her breathing normally. Her features peaceful instead of twisted in pain. He laughed with joy and happiness. Not even noticing the battle was over, already forgetting the strange man and the contract he signed. All that mattered was that Ginny was alive.

He didn't notice the people gathered around him until they began asking him what had happened. He saw the Weasley's staring at Ginny, fear that she was dead evident in their faces.

"She's not dead, she's only sleeping!" Harry cried happily. "Voldemort's dead! We won!" Harry began to feel the effects of losing so much magic, his vision started to go black at the edges, his head felt like a lead weight on his shoulders. He fell back to the ground, his last thought was when he woke up Ginny would be next to him, alive and well.

0.o.0.o.0

"How long will he be out?" A voice asked. It was too fuzzy for him to make it out. He tried to open his eyes but he was too tired. He strained his ears as another voice started to speak.

"It's hard to say. He lost so much magic."

"Perhaps it is a good thing he is not awake. He was under the impression that Ginny was perfectly healthy I'm afraid."

"Poor boy. It will be quite a shock for him when he wakes up."

"We must hope that he will be able to make it through. He really loved her, Poppy."

Harry couldn't process a word they were saying. Finally giving up, he drifted back into unconsciousness.

0.o.0.o.0

Several days after the final battle, Harry Potter woke up. His first word was Ginny but he was told he could not see her yet. Impatiently he waited and after a week the nurse let him out to see her.

Harry Potter was worried. He had to travel to St. Mungo's to see her. What is wrong with her, he asked the people. No one would tell him. They took him to the long-term ward. Harry's stomach felt like a huge knot as they approached a door that he had been through once before. They entered and Harry ran to the bed on which she lay. He eyes stared at the ceiling, glazed over. She made no movement towards him, she didn't even know that he was there.

Harry Potter cried by her bedside. After several hours, he stood up. He remembered the tall man, he had done this, he had tricked him. He ran out of the hospital and he kept on running. He stopped quickly at Gringotts and withdrew all of his money. He converted it to muggle money before buying an airplane ticket to New York City, using a little magic to get past security without a passport.

It was a few hours after Harry Potter arrived in New York, that he was currently riding on a brand new motorcycle. He had always enjoyed riding on Sirius' flying one and since he didn't know how to drive a car, he had decided to purchase it for his transportation. He was well out of New York City and was somewhere in the country. There was no one around for miles.

He was riding on a dirt road when he stopped abruptly, for standing in the middle of the crossroads in front of him was none other than tall man who had tricked him.

"You lied to me!" Harry yelled.

"The deal was that she would be alive, I never said she would be healthy." The man smiled.

"I can't believe I trusted you!" Harry yelled, rage filling his voice.

"Ah, but you did." The man smirked. "And know you are mine to do my bidding."

"Never!" Harry spat.

"Oh, but you signed the contract Harry. You gave your soul to me. And when I need you, I will call for you." The man placed a finger over Harry's heart, Harry tried to scream but couldn't as fire ran from the man's finger to Harry's head, the fire searing his brain. "You are mine, Harry Potter. Forget your friends, forget love, forget your family. You sold your soul to the Devil."

The man disappeared with an evil, thundering laugh echoing around him. Harry fell to the ground, tears streaming down his face. What had he done? Realizing he couldn't stay where he was, he got back on his bike and rode deep into the night.

He decided then and there that he was starting over. He pushed all his memories from his previous life to the back of his mind.

That night, Harry Potter died. Josh Hunter was born.

0.o.0.o.0

_Remember this is only the prologue so it is shorter than most chapters. I will try to make them longer, but that also means updates may be slower. Hopefully I will have my next update up by tomorrow. I have some free time for a few weeks but then track starts so updates may come a little slower._

_Storm Music_


	2. Chapter 1

**The Path of a Rider**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Ghost Rider_

_Thanks to all my reviewers. I must not to expect updates this fast all the time. I had a 4 day weekend so I had lots of time to write, but it won't always be that way. Also don't loose hope if I don't update for a while. I am determined to finish this fic. Also I would like to say, if you are going to see the movie Ghost Rider, I would suggest not reading any further, because this story follows the events of the story fairly close. Just a warning._

_Now, on with the story. Remember to review!_

**Chapter One**

"And now, please welcome, JOHNNY BLAZE AND JOSH HUNTER!" The announcer's voice boomed throughout the stadium. The fans rose to their feet, screaming and chanting as the aforementioned pushed their bikes out into view. Both were dressed in white suits, one with red flames and one with green. They waved to the crowd before fastening their helmets. Before them laid 8 helicopters, blades spinning, spread out across the expanse of a football field.

"Helicopters!" Mack yelled incredulously.

"We took out the cars." Both Johnny and Josh smiled at Mack's distress and annoyance. In a last attempt for them to listen to him, Mack tried to tell them what he wanted to them to do, but with a glance at each other they both took off down the ramp.

Nothing could compare to the adrenaline rush that Josh felt when he was soaring through the air. As he reached the end of the ramp and his and Johnny's bikes leaped into the air, Josh's mind went back to when he had first meant Johnny.

_He was up at the top of the ramp. He had seen Johnny Blaze for the first time earlier that day, and he knew he could make the jump. Johnny was doing another show the next day so the crew had left the ramps up. It was well past midnight and the full moon was lighting up the night. _

_Josh revved up his engine, and without a second thought, he took off down the ramp. The next seconds were a blur of adrenaline as he flew through the air, it almost reminded him of…those days were over. _

_When he landed safely on the other ramp, he just stayed there for a minute, savoring the last remnants of adrenaline. _

"_Hey there boy, what do you think you're doing?" A voice spoke from the shadows. Josh hurriedly jumped off his bike and took off his helmet. He glanced around but couldn't see anybody. _

"_Who's there?" Josh called out._

"_Hold up there, it's only me." A man stepped out of the shadows. He was wearing a black leather jacket and black pants. He titled his hat up so his face was illuminated. It was none other than Johnny Blaze. _

"_Uh, sorry Johnny Blaze sir, I uh, just wanted to see if I could make the jump." Josh managed to spit out, looking down at his feet. _

"_That was some pretty nice technique. Where'd you learn to ride like that?" Johnny asked._

_Surprised, Josh replied. "Uh, no where sir. I taught myself." _

"_Really now." Johnny seemed impressed. "Well, how would you like to join my show?"_

_Josh was stunned, his mouth hanging open like some dead fish. _

_Johnny laughed. "Well, I figure if you can ride that good without training, you can ride great with a little help." _

Johnny had taken Josh in under his wing since that day. He was like a big brother to him. He had been helping Josh with his riding and after a while he even let him join in on the shows.

Johnny was brought out of his thoughts as his tires connected with the ground and he pulled on his brakes. The cheering of the crowd almost burst his eardrums. Well, Josh would be cheering to, seeing as he and Johnny had just set a world record, but Johnny had taken off out of the stadium, more than likely chasing down this one reporter from earlier.

Josh rolled his eyes. Johnny was a great guy, but lately he had been acting weird. After the last couple of crashes they had suffered, Johnny had started to read these strange books that truly freaked out Josh. It was almost like he was searching for a reason why they were never seriously injured. Josh had to admit that they had had some pretty lucky breaks, but people had survived things worst than a few motorcycle accidents, hadn't they?

Josh shrugged his shoulders as Mack appeared at his side out of breath from sprinting from the opposite side of the stadium.

"Well done Josh." He said with a smile. "Now if only Johnny…" Josh couldn't hear the rest as cameras started clicking all around him.

"Back up people, back up. Johnny may do interviews but Josh sure don't!" Mack yelled to the oncoming slew of reporters. Josh smiled at this but he couldn't help feel like a third wheel. What with this girl showing up he wasn't sure if Johnny could still be there for him, and after his past, he wasn't sure if he could loose any more friends.

Several minutes later, after making it back to their R.V, Josh locked himself into the bathroom. He looked at his reflection in the mirror. His messy hair had tamed slightly, but it still would not lye flat. His green eyes looked dull and tired and he had bags under his eyes. Tonight was the anniversary of her death. She may not be physically dead, but to him she died that day.

He reached his hand into his suit and pulled out an old photograph. Its edges were wrinkled but the picture was still bright and clear. The girl in the picture flipped back her long red hair and smiled at the camera, her big, amber eyes glowing with joy and happiness. Oh how he wanted to see those eyes full of life again. How he wanted to feel her soft touch, hear her voice in his ear.

But she was dead, she couldn't remember him, she couldn't remember anybody, she couldn't even function by herself. He could never have his Ginny back.

A tear rolled down his cheek and splattered on the cold tile of the sink. Tucking the picture away, Josh splashed some water on his face before putting his mask back on and walking out of the room.

0.o.0.o.0

He did not like Hell. And he damned Harry Potter for sending him there. But now he was out, with the help of Blackheart.

"Foolish boy." He chuckled to himself. He actually thought they would take over the world together, like he would ever share supreme power with one so weak, so unworthy of the power. He was merely a pawn, a distraction. He knew Mephistopheles would first go after his son and look over himself, seeing Blackheart as the bigger threat.

How wrong he would be. For he had a plan, the greatest plan of all time. And he had long to plan it, to go over every detail to insure its success.

He may have failed before, but he would not fail twice. He opened his mouth and from it issued a strange and evil laugh that filled the night air around him, chilling everything that heard it.

0.o.0.o.0

Far away, Josh Hunter woke in his bed, his sheets sticking to his skin, his breath coming in short gasps. His scar burned like it hadn't for years, he had nearly forgotten about it since Voldemort's death, but now it burned like fire.

His dream, it had been horrible. There had been a man, dressed all in black with a pale face and icy blue eyes. He had frozen the entire bar with a touch of his hand. The chilling images of the frozen peoples death stares were burned into his eyes.

He couldn't understand what it had been. He had only ever had dreams like those when they were connected to Voldemort, but he was dead, he had seen his soul vanish to Hell. But then what was it? It had felt so real.

Josh jumped as his door was banged open. Johnny stood in the door sporting his favorite jacket and black pants.

"Hey there sleeping beauty. You gonna sleep all day?" He laughed until he caught sight of Josh's pale face. "What's wrong? You sick?" He asked concerned.

Josh shook his head. "No, just I nightmare is all. I just need a shower."

Johnny didn't seem convinced but he nodded anyways and shut the door to give Josh some privacy. Josh got up and walked over to his dresser and pulled on a green t-shirt and black denim jeans. He slipped on his favorite jacket, black leather with green flames, before slipping out the door.

He was staying with Johnny at his apartment for a while considering the fact that his was still being re done at the moment. He walked over to the table were Johnny was sitting, reading an article in the newspaper. Josh poured himself a glass of orange juice before sitting down across from Johnny.

"Well, I got a big date tonight so are you okay with staying here tonight. I need someone to watch the apartment for me." Johnny said from behind the paper.

"You know I can't figure out why you just don't get a lock for the your lift." Johnny glared at him over the top of his newspaper. "Fine, fine. I'll stay here tonight, don't worry."

"Thanks Josh." And with that Johnny went back to his article. Josh finished his orange juice in one gulp and walked towards the lift.

He shouted behind him. "I'll be back by 6!" Before jumping into the lift and moving downwards, not bothering to wait for a reply.

Once safely out of the building Josh walked aimlessly around the streets of the city, paying no attention to his surroundings but completely lost in thought. Finally he stopped in front of a flower shop. There were hundreds of flowers of all different colors that he could see through the window. Josh stepped into the shop and was immediately meant by a tiny, old Asian man.

"How can I help you sir?" He asked in a squeaky voice.

"Do you have any white roses?" inquired Josh. The man nodded eagerly and led Josh towards the back of the shop. He stopped in front of a display of roses that towered up to the ceiling.

"We have many roses. Take your pick." The man smiled up at him, gesturing to the flowers.

Josh carefully surveyed the flowers, searching for the perfect one. At long last, his eyes rested upon a half blossomed white rose. He tenderly reached into the mass of flowers and pulled it out.

He looked down at the man. "I'll take this one, please." The man smiled and excitedly walked to the cash register.

He pressed in some buttons before saying. "$10.00 dollars please!"

Josh handed over a ten to the man who thanked him graciously before leading him out of the store and waved goodbye to him. Josh chuckled; there definitely were some strange people around here.

He walked for a few more blocks before he came to a narrow alleyway. He glanced around him to make sure no one was watching him before he ducked into the alley. He sprinted behind a large dumpster. He waited a few minutes to make sure he heard no one following him. Then, he carefully placed the rose inside his jacket and brought out thin piece of wood. He tapped himself at the top of his head and then conjured a mirror.

He was meant with a pair of brown eyes that were surrounded by wavy brown hair. Satisfied, he banished the mirror and tucked his wand away and with a pop, he disappeared.

0.o.0.o.0

No one noticed a man walking down the hallways of St. Mungo's, though it could have been due to the small notice-me-not spell the man had cast on himself. He trudged tiredly down the white hallways, the weariness of the hospital seeping into him, reminding him why he hated coming here.

He reached the 5th floor and walked over to a locked door. With a whispered spell he stepped into the room and slowly walked over to a bed in the corner of the room. On the bed lay a girl, and although she was only in her 20's, she looked aged far beyond her years. Her once red hair was now dull and had a few strands of gray littering it. Her amber eyes were clouded and fixed on the ceiling. Her thin lips were slightly apart as a drop of spittle collected at the corner of her mouth. Her skin was white from lack of sunlight and was cold to the touch.

The man forced himself to look at her, to remind himself exactly what his foolish decision had done to her, his love. As he gazed into her eyes, memories he had not remembered for a year resurfaced.

"_Harry, come over here!" Her sweet voice drifted across the grounds. He turned around, a smile on his face. She was seated underneath a large willow tree near the lake. The sun reflected off her hair making it glisten like thousands of tiny rubies. _

_He walked over and lowered himself down next to her. He leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "Hey." He whispered in her ear._

"_Hey yourself." She replied, slapping him playfully on the shoulder. They sat there for a while, looking over the water. _

_The peaceful silence was broken by her soft voice. "Do you ever think about the future?"_

_Startled, he replied. "Sure, I guess. Why do you ask?" _

"_Just with this war, it makes me wonder what is going to become of my family, friends." She turned to face him. "Us."_

"_Gin, you know I will always be there for you." He took her hand in his. "No matter what happens." _

"_I know Harry, but I can't help but imagine what might happen if…" She trailed off, unable to finish. _

"_It won't come to that Gin. He is not going to get the better of me. I am going to finish this once and for all, and then we can live in peace." He said determinedly. _

"_I know that's what you say, but," She swallowed. "I can't bear the thought of living without you Harry." She laid her head against his chest. _

"_Don't think about that, Gin. We just have to cherish the time we have right now." He said, rubbing her back with his hand. _

"_Promise me something Harry." She looked up into his eyes._

_He nodded. "Anything."_

"_Promise we will get married just as soon as this war is over. Promise me that you will always love me." Her voice was filled with so much love he couldn't stand it. _

"_I promise I will marry and love you Gin, always." _

"Gin, I'm so sorry. I couldn't keep my promise." He cried, his tears falling on her blanket. "I still love you, I always have, don't forget me Gin."

He pulled out the rose he had purchased earlier and placed it on her bedside table. He pulled out a piece of white ribbon and tied it around the stem of the flower. He then pulled out a small black box. He lifted open the lid and gently picked up a white gold ring with a single diamond. He carefully slipped it onto the ribbon before rising and walking out of the ward.

Tears were streaming down his face as he walked back through the hospital. Once he was out the exit, he ran all the way to a side alley, and not even bothering to check to see if he was followed, he immediately apparated back to his home.

0.o.0.o.0

By the time Josh got back to Johnny's apartment Johnny had already left for his date. He was emotionally drained from his yearly visit to Ginny and he had no energy to do anything. He was actually thankfully that Johnny wasn't here for he would surely try to find out what was wrong, and he was not about to tell Johnny about the past he had left behind all those years ago.

Tired, Josh sank into a chair and flipped on the T.V. He managed a feeble laugh as he saw the station was Discovery and it was some show about monkeys. He couldn't understand Johnny's strange fascination with monkeys. He shrugged; it was just another odd thing that made up Johnny's personality.

Glancing to a side table next to the chair, Josh noticed a large book open to a page. Curiously Josh picked it up. The page it was open to held a strange picture, its grotesque images twisted together. Josh grimaced and looked at the next page. It was talking about demons and a man called Mephistopheles. Shuddering, Josh snapped the book closed. He was seriously starting to worry about Johnny; the books he was reading were not light reading to say the least. Hell, he wasn't even sure were Johnny managed to find some of these books!

Throwing the book aside, Josh pushed himself out of the chair and made his way to kitchen. He walked over to the fridge but stopped, remembering that Johnny didn't drink beer and he never bought any. Grumbling, he moodily grabbed a glass from a cabinet and filled it up with water.

Josh was raising the glass to his mouth to drink when he noticed the water was boiling. Disturbed, he quickly set the glass down on the cabinet and immediately the water began to cool. Josh looked down at his hand, puzzled, and was surprised to see his hand was red.

Afraid, Josh turned on the water faucet and ran his hands under the cool water but he was met with a face full of steam.

"What the bloody hell?" He mumbled, his accent coming through.

"Josh."

Josh whipped around wildly, startled by the voice, but there was no one there.

"Josh."

"Who are you?" He yelled, panicking slightly.

"Josh."

Josh ran to the lift and pressed the down button. He waited impatiently for the slow lift to reach the bottom. He jumped out of the lift.

"Josh."

Josh started to frantically search for the source of the voice, but he stopped suddenly in his tracks. Right in front of him was the nicest motorcycle he had ever seen. It was freshly painted and matched his jacket. He stared in awe at the bike. He reached out a hand to touch it but withdrew it when he heard a voice say from behind him.

"Hello Josh, or should I say Harry."

Josh turned around, his face contorting in hate. He pointed an accusing finger at the man. "You, you are the one you tricked me. You are the one who made Ginny like she is!" He spat out.

"Yes, I am. But now I have need of you, and you are in my debt." The man smirked.

"I will never work for you."

"Oh, but you don't have a choice." The man smiled as Josh hopped on the bike, intending to ride away but he found himself unable to take his hands off of the bike, or move his feet.

"What the…" he mumbled.

"I knew the moment Voldemort arrived in Hell, that he would one day escape. I also knew no ordinary Rider would be able to stop him. That's where you come into the picture." He circled around Josh as he spoke. "I had the knowledge that only you could ever stop him, and with your girlfriend dying, it was the perfect opportunity for a deal. You agreed, like I knew you would, and I waited. Voldemort has escaped, unfortunately so has my son, Blackheart. I have already sent my other Rider after Blackheart, but you, you are to find Voldemort, and send him back to Hell."

"No, I won't work for you!" Josh protested as he fought to get off the bike.

"I'm afraid you have no choice." The smile flashed to a fanged grin before Josh was whisked away on the bike.

He had never gone so fast in his life, the speed was intoxicating. He didn't even care to notice that the wheels were on fire. He passed by buildings and cars so fast they were nothing but a mere blur, a smudge against the darkness of the night.

He came to an abrupt halt in an old, abandoned warehouse where he fell off the bike. Something was happening to him, he could feel the change. It was like a fire had started blazing inside of him. He screamed as his insides burned. He tried to stop it, using all his strength and magic but it did nothing. The fire kept spreading, his head felt ablaze and his hands were smoking.

His lungs ached from yelling. He fell to the ground, unable to stand from the pain. The fire intensified to the point where his whole body felt like it was going to burst into flames.

And then it stopped.

But though the pain was gone, a strange, new power was in its place. His mind was taken over by this almost animalistic instinct. He had one purpose, one goal. Find Voldemort and send him back to Hell.

0.o.0.o.0

_Well, there you go, chapter one! Let me know what you think. I like to read your reviews, it is very encouraging to know someone is actually reading what you write. Constructive criticism is welcome! If anything is confusing, please just ask your question in your review and I will try my best to explain. _

_Please, if you find any mistakes, just tell me kindly, I wrote this late at night and I just skimmed over it because I didn't have much time to edit it._

_Thankz_

_Storm Music_


	3. Chapter 2

**The Path of a Rider**

Standard disclaimers apply

_Well, I am very afraid to even be writing this now. I know I have been a bad, bad, bad author and haven't updated in like a million years but please allow me to defend myself, even though I shouldn't make excuses._

_First of all, school is winding down I have had about ten papers due in the last couple of weeks, regional piano, track, league and state music, end of the year ceremonies and group parties, concerts, and finals to bog me down. When I do have free time, I am usually so exhausted that I don't have the energy to come up with ideas or motives to write. I have three weeks left of school and hopefully this summer I will have some time to write. _

_Remember I will finish this fic, no matter how long it takes between updates, there will eventually be one._

**Chapter Two**

The sand scratched harshly against his cheek, rubbing the skin raw. He groaned, his muscles protesting, every movement causing pain to jar through his nervous system. The salty smell accompanied with the ocean assaulted his nose and stung his eyes as he blinked them open. His muscles shuddered to support him as he struggled to his knees. Blinking several times to rid his eyes of the spots hanging before them, he slowly raised his head and looked about his surroundings.

The soft light of early morning set the countryside aglow and glinted of the gentle waves rolling onto the beach to his right. Around him were rolling hills and scattered trees, the high song of a bird pierced the damp air. Not recognizing the land, he shakily found his balance as he raised himself to his feet. He walked along the beach, hoping for something to spark his memory, his feet cinder blocks trudging through mud instead of the fine sand.

The wind rustled his black hair, several strands standing up on end. The fresh air and movement helped to awaken his mind from the half awake stupor. He looked down and brushed the bits of sand off his black leather jacket and pants and combed his fingers through his hair, sand falling around his shoulders.

A glint of metal caught his eye off to his left and he stopped and turned toward the source. An extremely puzzled look formed on his face as he peered at his motorcycle, lying on the ground several feet away from him.

Confused and beginning to panic, he pushed his bike along the beach, its tires making deep tracks in the sand alongside his footsteps. He failed to notice the same tire tracks running along the beach several feet to the side of him, the sand blackened and slightly melted.

After about ten minutes of walking, he finally made it to what seemed to be a slightly more occupied area. Along the rocky coastline were small, quaint houses, still silent with the weariness of morning. He could see a road beyond the houses and with a sigh he began to maneuver his bike over the rocks, managing to reach the road without a scratch on his bike, sweat droplets running down his forehead.

He walked to the end of the street and his eyes opened wide as he looked up at a road sign telling the distance to neighboring towns. The first name made his breathing quicken and his heart fluttered inside his chest. He turned his head abruptly towards the ocean, eyes straining in a futile attempt to see the distant shore.

No, he couldn't be here. Not the one place he had tried so hard to escape from. His mind raced and fear and panic broke through the dam of his emotional wall, spilling forth and overriding his other senses. He swung his leg over the bike and revved up the engine, the deep grindings sounding strange amongst its peaceful surroundings. His tires squealed as he sped off, not really knowing to what destination he was going, only knowing he needed to ride as far away from this place as he could.

Behind him, the small sign that had caused such a strong reaction stood still, the nature around it making protests to its rather rude awakening from the loud engine of the human's contraption. The slumbering humans turning over in their sleep, unaware of the power that had so recently vacated its doorstep. The rising sun caught the sign, illuminating the word at which the man had seen and felt fear.

London.

0.o.0.o.0

"Mummy! Mummy!" The five-year-old girl jumped onto her parents' bed, her red locks bouncing as she happily shook her parents awake. "Wake up, I want some breakfast!"

Hermione exhaled heavily, she knew this was going to happen, her daughter tended to be an early riser, but she could never get used to the loud awakenings.

"Hush, Lily!" Hermione scolded. "Your father was out late last night for work, let him sleep awhile longer." She scooped the hyper child up into her arms. Hermione looked down into eyes very much like her own, trying to look stern but giving into the innocent eyes of her baby girl.

"No use," Came a mumbled grunt from her husband as he rolled out of bed and coming to stand unsteadily on his feet, his red hair askew and his eyes with dark bags under them. "I'm up already."

"Ron, go back to bed. I can handle the children by myself. You will be of no use if you can't even keep your eyes upon long enough to shovel food into your mouth!" She reprimanded her husband like a child, which was the way he acted most of the time.

But her command was wasted breath. Ron had already shut his eyes and had fallen back into bed, loud snores issuing from his throat. Hermione smiled at her husband. He deserved his sleep. Even though the war was over, there were still many death eaters at large, even after so many years and every once in a while they liked to cause some chaos. Ron, as an auror, always ended up staying out at all hours of the night to help the reformed ministry round up the miscreants.

Hoisting Lily more firmly upon her hip, Hermione made her way out of the bedroom and down the hallway, stopping in front of one of the many doors. She turned the handle and stepped into the room and walked quietly over to one of the two beds, gently put Lily down on the floor.

"Go get your brother." Lily nodded and padded over to the second bed. Hermione bent down over the sleeping girl in the bed and scooped the child into her arms; the girl's honey brown hair spilling over her arm as she moaned in protest to being woken up.

"Mum, I'm sleepy." The girl whispered, leaning into her mother's chest.

"You can thank your sister, Shannon, for getting up this early." Hermione whispered to her youngest daughter.

"Mum!" Lily screeched. "Adam won't get up."

"Adam James, out of bed, now." The three-year-old boy rolled out of bed, brown hair messy and his mouth open wide in a yawn.

"Lily, why you get up early?" Shannon muttered from her mother's arms, glaring impressively for her age at her older sister.

"Cuz I'm hungry," Lily skipped over to the door and out into the hallway, calling over her shoulder to the three sleepy occupants of the room. "Lets go!"

Hermione held out her hand to Adam who grumpily took it and she made her way into the kitchen where she found Lily already sitting at the table, bouncing in her seat, She sat Adam and Shannon down in their seats before preceding over to the stove to begin fixing breakfast for her family.

Hermione enjoyed cooking, the muggle way. Most of the things were down the muggle way in the Weasley household because of Hermione's heritage and she didn't want her kids to become dependant on magic for everything.

She looked out her window to see the still quiet town of Hogsmeade. It was nice living so close to Hogwarts since she had taken up the muggle studies teaching position three years ago. They had moved from London so she could make it to work but still spend her evenings and weekends at home with the kids. During the day the children stayed with an older witch who lived in town, he children having left long ago she loved when the children were there to bring life to her house again. 

"Can we go play after breakfast, mum?" Adam asked from the table, interrupting her thoughts.

Before she could reply, Lily spoke up. "Of course not, Adam. Have you forgotten? We are going shopping today." Her face lit up with excitement.

Hermione berated herself mentally for forgetting the promise she had made to her children. She had been hoping for a quiet day after the night Ron had had, but it looked like that would be too much to ask for.

"Hurry up and eat," She said placing plates of eggs and sausage in front of the children. "We need to get going if we want to have a full day at Diagon Alley."

Secretly she hoped they would take several hours to get ready. Diagon Alley could be a handful with an energetic five-year-old girl and a pair of three-year-old twins.

0.o.0.o.0

Johnny quickly left the graveyard and the slightly creepy old man behind him, the memories of last night still haunting his mind, the images floating before his eyes.

He started to laugh. It began as a chuckle, slowly growing into loud guffaws, tears streamed from his eyes and his cheeks were red. He had sold his soul to the devil and now he was his bounty hunter, he couldn't even comprehend the sheer craziness that now was his life.

"How much more twisted can my life get?" He shouted to the sky, laughter ended.

Johnny made it back to his flat and threw himself down on the couch, exhaling loudly. He turned his head towards the pile of books he had been studying the last several of weeks, everything he had learned somehow meaningless now. He was living the stories in the books, why would he now want to learn more about them when he was a walking, talking, breathing example.

His eyes sparked. He shot off the couch and knelt before the books, throwing each one off the table till he found the one he was looking for. He mumbled meaningless words under his breath while he flipped through the pages, coming to rest about halfway to the end. Eagerly, his eyes flew across the page, soaking in the information, information on how to control the fire ability that he now possessed.

Several hours later, after extinguishing a fireball that had ignited in his palm, he stopped to grab something to eat. He walked over to the kitchen and opened the fridge, only to grimace at the low amount of food. He grabbed a carton of milk, intending to fix himself a bowl of cereal, it was then however, he realized something was missing, or rather someone.

Johnny sprinted over to Josh's room and flung the door wide.

"Josh, where the hell are you?"

0.o.0.o.0

Josh slowed down, horror downing across his face. He had not intended to, not in the least, but he had ended up in London, right in front of the Leaky Cauldron. He sighed as he realized he had nowhere else to go. He couldn't go home, not yet.

He glanced around him and discreetly took out his wand, muttering a glamour charm. His hair turned a soft brown and fell in soft waves, his eyes a light blue, his hair conveniently hiding his scar from view.

Confused and not thinking very clearly, Josh took a deep breath and prepared to enter back into a world he had left five years ago. He needed to do some research, research on information he could only find in the magical world, or so he thought. He needed to find out how he had ended up on the other side of the Atlantic, he needed to find out what had happened to him last night. All he could remember were flashes of fire and pain, and power, and the man who had hurt his Ginny, who had ruined his life, who he had sold his soul to, the devil.

0.o.0.o.0

_Sorry if it's a bit rushed. I wrote this late at night (or early in the morning) and was just trying to get this up for you guys. I know it's not very long but please bear with me. It's almost summer and I will have so much more time for writing. _

_Please review, you have no idea how much they help. Constructive criticism appreciated, flames ignored, and just nice comments very thankful for. _

_Storm Music_


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